CHANGING CONCEPTS, APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES IN MINERAL EXPLORATION

The concepts, approaches and techniques in mineral exploration are changing to meet the demands of society for the discovery of new ore deposits. Recent developments in mineral processing and metal production have made it possible to consider deposits not acceptable before, such as low-grade uranium and copper occurrences, lateritic nickel, iron-rich chromites, lithium in brines, and disseminated beryllium deposits. New concepts on the formation of mineral deposits, as for example the continental drift theory, and new exploration techniques, such as remote sensing, airborne mapping and sampling, electronic data storage and analysis, assure a higher success rate of exploration projects.